The ManicaPost
Kudzai Matanga, Rusape Correspondent
MAKONI Rural District Council (MRDC) has received a major boost after being granted $59 million by Government under the devolution fund programme for the rehabilitation and resuscitation of infrastructure.
Makoni RDC chief executive officer Dr Edward Pise said the fund will enable them to rehabilitate schools that were damaged by the hailstorm late last year.
The grant is also earmarked for the construction of new rural health centres.
“About 17 primary and secondary schools in Makoni were severely affected by the hailstorm which swept across the district last year.
“We want to make sure each of these schools is attended to. We are going to make sure that their roofs are repaired to create a suitable learning environment for the children. After that we have about six schools that will be upgraded so that they get registered with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education,” said Dr Pise.
Mr Pise said other priority in the devolution budget include the construction of clinics and rehabilitation of roads.
He said people in the rural areas were facing difficulties in accessing clinics due to the poor state of the roads.
“We have already put up a number of development projects like the construction of two clinics – one in Makoni North and the other in Headlands constituencies. People are travelling for more than 25 kilometres to their nearest health centre, which is a great concern to us.
“We are also going to upgrade some of the clinics that do not have enough facilities and five will be upgraded. Although they are already operational, we are just upgrading them to meet the minimum standards required by the Ministry of Health and Child Care,” said Dr Pise.
Dr Pise said they also intended to buy road equipment and machinery to facilitate infrastructure rehabilitation and development.
“We are planning to buy a motorised grader and a bulldozer because our roads need re-gravelling. This is because hiring the equipment is very expensive.
“Other projects lined up include drilling boreholes and establishing three irrigation schemes because food insecurity is becoming a threat.
“We will also repair some dams in the district,” said Dr Pise.
